David Croft insists Red Bull should have signed 214-race F1 driver instead of Yuki Tsunoda this season

Red Bull Racing seem to be stuck in a constant cycle of trying to work out who should be Max Verstappen’s teammate.

Since Max Verstappen was promoted into the Red Bull at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, he’s had six different teammates.

Daniel Ricciardo, his original Red Bull partner, is the only driver who has ever really challenged Verstappen, and this year has only highlighted the problem team principal Christian Horner faces.

This year started with Liam Lawson in the hot seat despite having only completed two short stints in the RB team in 2023 and 2024.

Lawson completed the shortest term in Red Bull’s history after being dropped just two race weekends into the season, handing Yuki Tsunoda his long-awaited debut.

Tsunoda now has six Grand Prix starts under his belt alongside Verstappen but is yet to finish in the top eight of a full-length race.

The last time a Red Bull driver joined Verstappen on the podium was Sergio Perez at last year’s Chinese Grand Prix.

Since that race, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and Alpine have all recorded double-podium finishes and it’s looking less and less likely that Red Bull will repeat that feat any time soon.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents

David Croft says Red Bull should have signed Carlos Sainz instead of Yuki Tsunoda

Speaking on The F1 Show after the Monaco Grand Prix, commentator David Croft was discussing the driver situation at Red Bull.

Tsunoda was subjected to a poor strategy in Monaco, but he didn’t help himself by failing to reach Q3 on a track that’s notoriously difficult to overtake on.

Talking about Red Bull’s driver situation, Croft explained: “I personally think they’ve got the wrong driver still. If they want to win a constructors’ championship, go and get a driver that is good enough.

“And Yuki might well be in time, I don’t think he’s proved it.

“Well, they should have got Carlos Sainz. But for whatever reason, that didn’t happen.

“Carlos Sainz was the driver available on the market for next year. Now, once you’ve not got Carlos Sainz, who are you looking for in the future?

“Lando’s locked into a long-term contract. George Russell’s out of contract at the end of this year. It would be an interesting combo and it would give us plenty to talk about.

“And I don’t think there’s any animosity between George and Max. They’re just fiercely competitive human beings who have not always seen eye to eye on the track at any given moment.

“But that’s the calibre of driver they’re going to have to get. And I’ve not got a downer on Yuki, trust me.

“But is he a consistent podium finisher or race winner? Look at the stats. No, he’s not.

“Do you want to be a constructors’ champion? Yes. Therefore, go out and get a consistent race winner or podium finisher.”

READ MORE: Williams star Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height

Carlos Sainz joining Williams over Red Bull was a blessing in disguise

Carlos Sainz joined Williams over the winter break after four successful seasons with Ferrari, making way for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

As Croft mentioned, Sainz, who has 214 Grand Prix starts to his name, was the most attractive free agent on the market last year.

However, he was only attracting interest from teams in Formula 1’s midfield, with the likes of Red Bull and Mercedes never taking a serious interest in him.

Helmut Marko was hesitant to partner Sainz with Verstappen due to the frosty relationship their respective camps had during their time at Toro Rosso together.

However, Sainz was pleased Red Bull didn’t approach him ahead of the 2025 season, believing that they did him a favour in the long run.

Williams have proven to be far more competitive than many imagined this season and have high hopes for the upcoming regulation changes next year.

Red Bull, on the other hand, appear to be incapable of designing a car both Verstappen and his teammate can drive. Being left behind by the Dutchman would have done Sainz’s career more harm than good.